- The pre-eminence of Silicon Valley's success in the United States and the world. We owe it to the democratic(small d), liberal(small l), free speech and the "Hacker's way". Also a big dash of cash, favorable laws, etc. This article is a good read with loads of citations and references. http://law.emory.edu/elj/content/volume-63/issue-3/articles/how-law-made-silicon-valley.html 5 comments technology